Versatile Bike Frame Bag Converts to Purse

Small leather bicycle bags are handy for stashing a few essentials, ranging from a cell phone and a lipstick to tools to change a flat.

In the countryside (or in my romantic vision of it, which usually involves a bike propped against a centuries-old stone wall in Devonshire) a leather bag might cleave to a frame until it develops the suppleness and patina of a well-worn saddle.

But in urban areas, not so much. I mean, I wouldn’t leave a quality leather bag on my bike, parked on a New York City street. Would you?

That’s why I was happy to come across this versatile bike frame bag from Detroit Cargo at Adeline Adeline last week. The Davison, named for the Detroit highway, is hand-crafted in sturdy leather with brass-finish pin closures. Although it’s billed as a frame bag to affix to the top tube, it can be attached as easily to a handlebar or saddle. Two straps fasten it easily from the bike, and a shoulder strap converts it into a cute handbag. At 10 by 5 by 2 in., it’s a bit more generously cut than most leather tool bags.